A Komodo cruise from Labuan Bajo is a 3 days 2 nights trip on a phinisi, sleeping aboard inside Komodo National Park, with shared cabins from IDR 6,000,000 per person on Ballona and IDR 6,500,000 on our standard Phinisi. These are sightseeing and snorkelling cruises, not scuba trips: you hike Padar, walk with a ranger among the dragons and snorkel at Manta Point. If you want to dive, read our Komodo diving guide first.
Komodo cruise prices: three ways to sail
| Trip | Boat | Cabins and guests | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballona Phinisi cruise, 3 days 2 nights | 32 m teak hull, launched 2026 | 8 private ensuite cabins, up to 25 guests | from IDR 6,000,000 per person |
| Phinisi open trip, 3 days 2 nights | Traditional wooden Phinisi | 9 cabins, up to 21 guests | from IDR 6,500,000 per person |
| Private Komodo charter | The whole boat for your group | up to 10 guests in the base price, maximum 21 | IDR 140,000,000 (3 days 2 nights) or IDR 120,000,000 (2 days 1 night) |
On both shared cruises the cabin you pick sets the price. Ballona runs from IDR 6,000,000 for the Deluxe and Family suites to IDR 9,000,000 for the Grand Suite. On the standard Phinisi the range is IDR 6,500,000 for the Banda Neira and Savu cabins up to IDR 11,500,000 for the Misool master suite.
The price covers your cabin, all meals, coffee, tea and water, harbour transfers within the Labuan Bajo city area, snorkelling gear, paddleboard, canoe, a cruise director, a guide and a photographer. Komodo National Park fees are extra, averaging about IDR 400,000 per foreign visitor, and so are flights, insurance and alcohol. For the whole holiday budget, including hotel nights on land, see our Labuan Bajo trip cost guide.
Day 1: Taka Makasar, Manta Point and Padar
Pickup is at 08:30 from your hotel or the airport in the city area, and a few minutes later you are on board and unpacking. The first stop is Sebayur or Siaba, a sheltered reef chosen as a gentle warm-up so you can get used to your mask. Lunch is served while the boat heads east.
At 13:30 you reach Taka Makasar, a thin crescent of white sand in the open sea that you can walk end to end in about two minutes. At 15:00 comes Manta Point, a drift snorkel over the cleaning station where manta rays hold position in the current. Nothing is guaranteed with wild animals, but the crew read the tide before you go in.
Late afternoon is Padar. Ballona climbs the ridge at golden hour, with a fraction of the sunrise crowd. The standard Phinisi stops at Padar at 16:30, then anchors near Kalong at 18:30 to watch thousands of flying foxes leave the mangroves at dusk. Dinner is on board and the first night is spent at anchor in a sheltered bay.
Day 2: Padar sunrise, Pink Beach and the dragons
On the standard Phinisi the wake call is at 04:30 for the Padar sunrise hike between 05:00 and 07:30. The climb takes 30 to 45 minutes on 838 steps, so bring a headlamp and closed shoes. Our Padar hike difficulty guide rates it honestly before you set the alarm.
Breakfast is on board as you sail to Pink Beach, where you land at 09:30, well before the day boats arrive from town. The reef starts a few metres off the sand, so you can snorkel straight from the beach. Our Pink Beach guide explains why the colour is real and why morning light shows it best.
At 11:00 you land at Loh Liang on Komodo Island for the ranger walk. On Ballona the route is described as flat and about an hour long. After lunch, Pengah Island at 14:00 is often the best coral of the trip, with schooling fish and a fair chance of reef sharks. Free time follows from 16:00: paddleboard, canoe or a swim off the stern. At dusk the boat waits off Kalong for the flying foxes, and dinner is served on deck while they pass overhead.
Day 3: Kelor, Manjarite and back by midday
The last morning is short and easy. At 07:30 you climb Kelor Island, a steep walk of twenty minutes at most, for one more view over the islands. At 09:00 Manjarite is the final snorkel, in calm, shallow water over soft coral.
At 10:30 the boat turns back toward town, and you reach Labuan Bajo harbour between 11:00 and 12:00. Your transfer takes you to your hotel or the airport, so an afternoon flight out is comfortable. If you are flying in from Bali, plan four days in total: arrive the day before, sail three days, fly out on the afternoon of day three.
Pick the trip that fits
Padar, Pink Beach, dragons and Manta Point by speedboat, back before dinner.
Komodo Day Trip: Speedboat to 6 Top Destinations
Three days on a phinisi with sunrise Padar before the crowds arrive.
Komodo Tour 3 Days 2 Nights: Phinisi Open Trip
The whole boat to yourselves. Your route, your pace, your music.
Komodo 3D2N Private Charter: Whole-Boat Phinisi
Cabins on board: what your money buys
Every cabin on both boats has air conditioning and its own ensuite bathroom, so the cheapest cabin does not mean sharing a bathroom. What changes is size, deck and view. On Ballona the Deluxe Suite is a queen bed below deck with a porthole, the Family Suite sleeps up to four, the two Ocean Suites at IDR 7,000,000 have private balconies, and the Grand Suite adds a balcony jacuzzi.
On the standard Phinisi, Misool is the master suite at 34 m² with a private balcony and jacuzzi. Weh and Mentawai are premier cabins of 13.6 m² with a king bed and bathtub, Selayar and Rote have big windows on the main deck, and the lower-deck cabins have a small round marine window. If you will spend most daylight hours on deck or in the water, a lower-deck cabin leaves more of your budget for the rest of the trip.
Cabins sleep two. A solo traveller pays for both beds to keep the cabin private, or can ask to be paired with another solo guest. The Komodo liveaboard guide explains in more detail how life on board works.
Best time for a Komodo cruise
The calm-sea window runs from May to early October, and June, July and September are the strongest months. September is our own pick: the August crowds have gone, the weather is still dry and the mantas are still at the cleaning stations. In July, boats can book out three to four weeks ahead.
In the dry season snorkelling visibility reaches 25 to 30 metres. From November to March the west winds make the sea choppier, and late January to early March is the one stretch we advise against, because some boats stay in port. Our best time to visit Komodo guide goes month by month.
Snorkelling cruise or diving liveaboard?
Search for Komodo liveaboards and most results are scuba boats. Our cruises are different: Asik Travel runs sightseeing and snorkelling trips and is not a dive school. Every in-water stop on the route, from Siaba to Manta Point and Pengah, is a snorkel stop, and snorkelling gear is on board.
The good news for non-divers is that the headline site, Manta Point, works just as well on the surface. The channel is shallow enough to float and watch the mantas glide underneath, and turtles and reef fish at Siaba and Pink Beach are easy to see with a mask.
If diving is your main goal, you need a dedicated dive operator. Komodo currents can run hard on the northern pinnacles, and sites like Castle Rock and Crystal Rock are advanced dives that call for a reef hook. Dive liveaboards also reach the cold southern sites, where water can drop to 18 to 22 C. Our Komodo diving guide covers the sites, levels and seasons.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a Komodo cruise?
Our shared cruises are 3 days and 2 nights, with pickup at 08:30 on day one and return to Labuan Bajo between 11:00 and 12:00 on day three. A private charter can also run 2 days and 1 night, and longer charters can be arranged on request.
How much does a Komodo cruise cost?
Shared cabins start at IDR 6,000,000 per person on Ballona and IDR 6,500,000 on the standard Phinisi, rising with the cabin you choose. A private charter costs IDR 140,000,000 for 3 days 2 nights for up to 10 guests. Park fees and flights are paid separately.
When is the best time for a Komodo cruise?
May to early October brings the calmest seas, with June, July and September the best months. Late January to early March is the roughest period, and some boats do not sail.
Can you dive on a Komodo cruise?
Not on ours: they are snorkelling and sightseeing cruises, and we do not offer diving or dive certification. Divers should book a dedicated dive operator, and our diving guide explains how the dive liveaboards work.
What is included on a Komodo cruise?
Your cabin, all meals, coffee, tea and drinking water, city-area harbour transfers, every activity on the itinerary, snorkelling gear, paddleboard, canoe, a cruise director, a guide and a photographer. Park fees, flights, travel insurance, alcohol and tips are not included.
Can I do a Komodo cruise from Bali?
The cruise starts in Labuan Bajo, not Bali. The flight from Denpasar to Komodo Airport takes about 1 hour, so fly in the day before your boat and allow four days in total.
